I'm going to go against the grain on this one but I think it's a good article. I think it should have focused more on the positive sides and the advice and less on the blame game, or even explaining how "weak" engineers survive in organisations. Having spent a couple of decades in the SWE industry, a couple of years in management, I've worked with quite a lot of "weak" senior engineers. In Denmark it's common to take some university level MBA courses as you transition into management and I did that, and it's been helpful as I went back to being an engineer. When I work with a "weak" engineer I let them know they can ask for advice on management if they want to in the most non-intrusive way possible. Some of them do, others don't and I never push it.

What I really like about this article is that it outlines some really good advice. I think the "asshole" part should've been emphasized more. To me you cannot be a "strong" engineer if you're an asshole. Not only will people not want to work with you, but you're extremely likely to lower team morale and create an unproductive work environment. This is where anyone goes from being a "torch bearer" to being "just an employee", and while just doing what you're paid to do is fine in my book, it's when people thrive they have the most fun at work. Another part I think this article could've highlighted more is how you can help juniors find their way into "seniority" by giving them good advice. I don't think you should in anyway undermine a "weak" senior engineer when you do this, but I do think you should nudge people in the right direction. I think you should do this under any circumstance though. You can also be assertive with your "weak" engineer and tell them to not exploit juniors in a nice way. I hate saying "journey" but part of what you should learn as you grow into your career is that it, is, just work. This piece of advice is excellent, since it'll give you a more nuanced view on workplace cutlture and politics. Unproductive people are not your problem, let them be unproductive and let the company handle deal with it. You can be friends with them as the article outlines, but you shouldn't carry them beyond what is reasonable.

What I think the article does wrong is that people transition between these roles more than it outlines. You can be a "strong" engineer in some periods of your life and a "weak" engineer in others. I think it's also important to recognize this in your coworkers. Why are they being unproductive? Is it because their baby has kept them awake for a month straight? Is it because they have been given too much responsibility by the business? Is it because they've been put in the wrong role? There can be a lot of reasons, and I think the most "classic" one is when people don't know how to transition from engineering and into management, or when the business demands that they do 100% of their old job while also managing a team.

I went back to engineering because it turned out I was neurodiverse, and this stressed me out when I had to manage people. One of the sobering lessons I took with me, however, is how replacable we all are. It's always just a question of cost. Similarily when you're hiring for a position, you can basically pick the top 10 candidates and throw a dart arrow at them and be fine. You obviously shouldn't do this, but it's quite a different perspective than what I had from being hired where I figured it was all about being "the best".